Hello all,I've been using a Nike backpack to ferry all my school books to and from school for a while now, and just looking for a change and for a new bag...Wondering if messenger bags would be any comfier for this task? Looked at two choices: the Chrome Citizen (preowned) and the Timbuk2 Messenger 101(webstore).One of them seems too big and the other seems to small. I'm 165cm. Any opinions?

And yeah, also interested in what everyone here uses to carry their stuff to wherever they go. (:

Messenger bags can be more comfortable I only like them for short distances. I used to ride out to university roughly two days a week (a trip around 18km's long). What I had and still have was a day hike hydration backpack from Rebel Sport and I found it quite handy. I had plenty of water easily with me, handy on the warmer days and there was actually space in there for books I needed for the day. Generally though if I had to take more than one thick textbook to transport I used a pannier. I found that my hydration pack approach worked well for me. If going a short distance I'd probably just quickly grab a messenger style bag though.

So I use a combination of things according to the circumstances... The most outlandish though would be my 50 Cal ammo box trunk that I use to transport my DSLR. One ammo box, filled with foam and simply fastened to my pannier rack by four cable ties. Safe, strong, durable and most importantly..... Bad Arse!

I'd put myself as a wannabe weight weanie. I do love a nice light bike but then I let my practicality intervene. I had an initial sacrilegous moment when I put the pannier rack on my roadie but really the extra practicality won me over in the end. Plus extra weight means more training .

The more time I spend commuting, the less I carry the better and the less I carry on my back even better.

I use a big seat bag (well actualy a medium toppeak) to carry essentials

I will use a beam rack that is suppose to attach to a seat post, attached to my seat tube with a trunk bag on one of my bikes.

If I need to carry gear on 42km commute on another bike. I will go for my Crumpler Yee Ross Backpack, because it is the best for the job over my other backpacks and my Crumpler Part and Parcel Courier Bag. Less sweat, better on my shoulders.

The Crumpler Part and Parcel Courier Bag is good for shorter trips and carry bigger loads (I will use it when I take my laptop to station, when not doing the full commute).

il padrone wrote:That saddle is faux leather. Real leather saddles do not have a plastic base.

I tend to prefer very easily removed bags for convenience when I get to my workplace. Drop-over panniers like these are a pain to remove and refit on the bike.

I'll let you know how easy/difficult it is to remove. The website didn't show what the rear fittings of the panniers are like. The Brooks is a bugger to remove so I tend to leave it on the bike and would only take it off for long extended periods of time if I need to park bike at a not-so-secure place. I'm hoping that the Selle Monte Grappa is easier to remove given it doesn't hold as much gear volume-wise. Re: agree with the saddle - the only one without the leather adjective. But they sure know how to colour coordinate the Brooks saddle with these panniers:

As for the white, I have white Ortlieb back roller panniers, and they've stayed surprisingly clean on the outward-facing sides. The bits that get dirty are the sides that face the wheel. No way I'd carry around one of those briefcase panniers without giving it a wipedown first. It doesn't matter what the colour is, the grit and road grime will transfer to your clothes in an instant!

Max

One of the best things about bicycle commuting is that it can mitigate the displeasure of having to go to work. - BikeSnobNYCCycling is sometimes like bobbing for apples in a bucket full of dicks. - SydGuy

That last Ortlieb bag there says in product description that it is designed to take a laptop. How will a laptop handle the rough ride in the pannier? My first thought is it will get pounded to bits on a roadbike with 23mm tyres inflated to 120PSI. Anyone have knowledge or experience of this matter? Of course if you crash on that side...ugh, its toast. And that particular pannier is only 12L. And it's AUD160....for one.

Do none of them come WITH a rack? Are racks basically universal in fit? My roadbike DOES have lugs at the dropouts for a rack (I assume).

The hard cases by Ortlieb above, while expensive, actually seem like reasonable value. Still trying to work out how big they are and not sure if dimensions alone will give me capacity in Litres. They also don't say if they come with a rack - I'm guessing not.

I have been carrying a "huge" backpack of some 45L which is up to 10 kg sometimes. And yes I need all of it. It includes a 15" laptop. Note, I'm only doing this for a short 5km dash over flat ground presently, but considering a longer commute of 11-15km with several small hills and I do not want to do that with this backpack. I'm a little top- heavy which I have learnt to deal with somewhat at speed, although I got caught out yesterday at slow speed and just couldn't stop the weight of the backpack alone sending me over while stationary. Am I going to hate carrying all this no matter what pannier I choose? They look like a lot of windage.

TheShadow wrote:That last Ortlieb bag there says in product description that it is designed to take a laptop. How will a laptop handle the rough ride in the pannier? My first thought is it will get pounded to bits on a roadbike with 23mm tyres inflated to 120PSI. Anyone have knowledge or experience of this matter? Of course if you crash on that side...ugh, its toast. And that particular pannier is only 12L. And it's AUD160....for one.

Do none of them come WITH a rack? Are racks basically universal in fit? My roadbike DOES have lugs at the dropouts for a rack (I assume).

The hard cases by Ortlieb above, while expensive, actually seem like reasonable value. Still trying to work out how big they are and not sure if dimensions alone will give me capacity in Litres. They also don't say if they come with a rack - I'm guessing not.

I have been carrying a "huge" backpack of some 45L which is up to 10 kg sometimes. And yes I need all of it. It includes a 15" laptop. Note, I'm only doing this for a short 5km dash over flat ground presently, but considering a longer commute of 11-15km with several small hills and I do not want to do that with this backpack. I'm a little top- heavy which I have learnt to deal with somewhat at speed, although I got caught out yesterday at slow speed and just couldn't stop the weight of the backpack alone sending me over while stationary. Am I going to hate carrying all this no matter what pannier I choose? They look like a lot of windage.

TheShadow, your situation sounds a lot like mine. I started commuting to work about 12 months ago. A 53Km round trip carrying a bunch of stuff including a laptop, all inside a backpack. It was tough work, but I did it. I decided right at the start that if I was still riding to work 12 months later, that I'd get myself another bike with a rack and panniers (the first bike is carbon and won't take a rack).

A couple months ago, I did exactly that. I got myself an alloy bike with a Topeak rack and Ortlieb back roller panniers. I still use the backpack to carry the laptop, but instead of carrying it on my back, I plonk it into one of the panniers. I do this for a couple reasons. First, I don't ride to work every day. On those days I drive, I still need to carry the same stuff in the backpack. So it's easier for me just to throw it all into the pannier instead of transferring the contents from one to the other (which means I might forget or lose something in the process). The second reason is that the pannier itself doesn't have any sort of padding, where the backpack does. The laptop does fine inside the backpack and pannier. FWIW, I'm running 25mm tyres at 125 PSI.

As far as I know, panniers come on their own, without a rack. The manufacturers assume you already have one. It seems there are two tube diameters that are standard in the industry. I can't remember off the top of my head what they are, but the upshot is that you need to make sure that whatever pannier you get will fit on the rack you have. Some manufacturers supply adapters that ensure that their product will fit on either size tube. Ortlieb supplied adapters with the back rollers.

I've found no discernable reduction in speed or performance coming from the carbon bike with backpack, to the alloy bike with panniers. I've never thought to myself "gee, these panniers really increase rolling resistance". They feel good, and I'm delighted to have the backpack off my back. I used to get home and have bruises all around my shoulders and armpits from the backpack's straps. No more! And now I can actually turn and get a really good look at what's behind me, because there's no backpack to obstruct my view.

So.. anyway.. it sounds to me like you need to go to your LBS with your laptop and other stuff and figure out how to make it fit into the panniers. That's what I did, and it was a very useful exercise. I learnt that the panniers I'd been initially considering wouldn't actually carry my backpack the way I wanted to. It also meant I was able to make sure the panniers fit in such a way that there were no heel strike problems.

I hope this helps!

Max

One of the best things about bicycle commuting is that it can mitigate the displeasure of having to go to work. - BikeSnobNYCCycling is sometimes like bobbing for apples in a bucket full of dicks. - SydGuy

For the last 5 years I've been commuting very regularly with a laptop in panniers. I have the Ortlieb Bikepacker Classics and the laptop travels in a padded Ortlieb laptop sleeve. I ride 10kms to work and carry some clothes, shoes, books, raingear and lunch in the panniers. The laptop came with a backpack that I use if I drive to work, but it really doesn't fit in the pannier, hence I bought the laptop sleeve.

I have had absolutely no concerns with damage/wear and tear on the laptop due to vibration or road shocks. I msotly ride good main roads, but do have to cross a rail level crossing, with a road surface either side that was pretty rough until some recent road repairs.

Panniers probably slow me down a little with greater wind drag, but I just look on it as all good training. Panniers are my normal touring kit anyhow. Go for the panniers, your back will love you for it.

Max wrote: Ortlieb back roller panniers. I still use the backpack to carry the laptop, but instead of carrying it on my back, I plonk it into one of the panniers. I do this for a couple reasons. First, I don't ride to work every day. On those days I drive, I still need to carry the same stuff in the backpack. So it's easier for me just to throw it all into the pannier instead of transferring the contents from one to the other (which means I might forget or lose something in the process). The second reason is that the pannier itself doesn't have any sort of padding, where the backpack does. The laptop does fine inside the backpack and pannier. FWIW, I'm running 25mm tyres at 125 PSI.

I've found no discernable reduction in speed or performance coming from the carbon bike with backpack, to the alloy bike with panniers. I've never thought to myself "gee, these panniers really increase rolling resistance". They feel good, It also meant I was able to make sure the panniers fit in such a way that there were no heel strike problems.

Max

Thanks. That's exactly what I was wanting to do - still use my backpack to carry everything around off the bike, and keep it all together in one place.

I have just been looking at the Ortlieb Back Rollers...and the cheaper Tioga verions of same size. Not too comfortable spending over about $150-200 right now. Still very nervous about putting the laptop in a pannier, but keen to try getting the bag right off my back. I had toyed with carrying just the laptop on my back with the rest of the stuff in a pannier, but I'm coming around to the idea the pannier won't destroy it.

Heel strike issue had ocurred to me. Size 45/11 cycling shoe >> is it a question of buying a rack that goes far enough back? I assume Ortlieb have thought of this.

il padrone wrote:For the last 5 years I've been commuting very regularly with a laptop in panniers. I have the Ortlieb Bikepacker Classics and the laptop travels in a padded Ortlieb laptop sleeve. I ride 10kms to work and carry some clothes, shoes, books, raingear and lunch in the panniers. The laptop came with a backpack that I use if I drive to work, but it really doesn't fit in the pannier, hence I bought the laptop sleeve.

I have had absolutely no concerns with damage/wear and tear on the laptop due to vibration or road shocks. I msotly ride good main roads, but do have to cross a rail level crossing, with a road surface either side that was pretty rough until some recent road repairs.

Panniers probably slow me down a little with greater wind drag, but I just look on it as all good training. Panniers are my normal touring kit anyhow. Go for the panniers, your back will love you for it.

I take your word for it il Padrone, but I'm so nervous about putting this laptop in a pannier. It's ' old' (18mths ) now, but cost over $1500 new. I would be riding decent roads and concrete bikeway.

You are CORRECT about the back issue. I ' put my back into' drafting a slow truck along Coro Dve four months ago and for several days afterwards, I thought I had done some serious damage to my back!! Wow, that scared me. Thought "Uh Oh, now I've done it." A 10kg backpack is more than you can pretend is not there physically and in terms of "Stunt-Riding" that gonzo commuter might otherwise engage in.

il padrone wrote: Go for the panniers, your back will love you for it.

+1

Saves you from becoming the Hunchbank of Notre Dame a couple of years down the track.

Yes, I think that may be no exageration. With 10kg, It's only barely doable over very short distance...and being careful at that. Forget getting down on the drops in the big chainring with that weight....or do and see what happens!

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